What is the alternator belt connected to?
The alternator belt keeps the car battery charged while the engine is running, and is directly connected to the health of your battery. It connects the alternator, power steering oil pump, and crosses the crank pulley, which provides momentum.
Where is the alternator drive belt?
However, most modern vehicles use only one belt to power the alternator as well as the power steering, air conditioning, and any other accessories. Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, this belt (often called the serpentine belt) is often located on the front or side of the engine.
Is the belt tensioner pulley supposed to move?
It’s normal for it to move a little. That is to say it’ll rotate on it’s pivot. Also, should a belt tensioner wobble? A bad belt tensioner spring will often cause the tension arm to bounce up and down with the cycling of the motor.
How do I know if I need a new tensioner pulley?
1. Grinding or squeaking noise from the belts or tensioner. The most common symptom of a bad or failing drive belt tensioner is noise from the belts or tensioner. If the tensioner is loose the belts may squeak or squeal, especially when the engine is first started.
Where does the serpentine belt go on an alternator?
If you do not have a diagram on the vehicle or in your service manual laying out the direction your serpentine belt travels through the pulleys, take a picture of it with your phone to refer to when installing the new belt. A strictly alternator belt will likely only go around an alternator pulley and the crank pulley at the bottom of the engine.
What kind of pulley does an alternator have?
The alternator pulley is driven by the crank pulley, the shaft through the centre of the alternator also drives the cooling fan, an essential life and death component of an aircooled engine. When BHP is increased substantially the likelihood of liftoff and belt slip on a V-Belt approach almost certain.
How does a pulley belt work on a VW?
Sounds strange to link a belt to do both those things but here is how. A stock V-belt drive uses a number of shims to maintain the tension of the pulley, however due to the narrow tall profile of the standard V-belt they are highly prone to slip and ‘lift off’ at high RPM’s. How does that effect cooling and charging?
What’s the best way to loosen an alternator belt?
Use a breaker bar or socket wrench to loosen the auto-tensioner. Many newer model vehicles come equipped with an auto-tensioner pulley. The pulley presses upward as the belt wraps around it so the belt remains under constant, steady tension.